William Thompson

Opportunity to Serve

Romans 12:1 (KJV) 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

I received the call from the Lord in 1972 to preach His Word. I began as a teacher in various homes in the Gaston and York area. A the the same time I was serving as a Sunday school teacher in the Gold Hill Baptist Church in York. While sharing the gospel through teaching I had opportunities to speak to different individuals about what God was saying to those who were lost and seeking Him.

After a brief time of teaching in York and Gaston I got the call to pastor. Twelve souls wanted to start a church and needed a leader. Christ Community in Gastonia was started in a living room near Highland High School. My first sermon was in a living room with dinning room chairs for pews.

I believed then and I believe now that God had a call on my life to share the good news! After nearly 5 years as leader of Christ Community that assignment ended and south I went to Lake Wylie to pastor 35 individual of which half were children. This time I shared the gospel for 9 years. During those 9 years God gave me a second gift and that was evangelist. Through out the North and South Carolina’s I shared with different church during their annual revivals, homecoming, ushers annuals, men’s day, laymen breakfasts and church workshops.

Next came the call to go to Grover for a 32 years span of sharing the gospel as pastor and evangelist to other churches. This time at the St. Peter Church.

Acts 16:6-10 (KJV) 6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.8 And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

God made a call in 2018 for me to leave the role of pastor and share as an evangelist/ teacher to churches and places wherever the opportunity presents itself.

When Jesus began His three-year earthly ministry, He preached that “the kingdom of God is near” (Matthew 4:17; Luke 10:9). Mark 1:14–15 gives a concise description of Jesus’ primary focus during His time on earth: “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” When asked to define His kingdom, Jesus explained it this way: “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed. . . . The kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Luke 17:20–21). Romans 14:17 says that the kingdom of God is a matter “of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

The gospel of the kingdom is the good-news message of repentance, redemption, and restoration offered by God to all who will receive Christ. Those who accept this offer become part of His eternal kingdom (John 1:12). Those who choose to remain in their sin cannot be a part of this kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9–10; Galatians 5:19–21). Although grace makes this offer available to anyone who will receive it, Jesus warned that it would be very difficult to enter His kingdom and few would do so (Matthew 7:14).

The gospel of the kingdom is the news that there is freedom from our slavery to sin if we will repent and turn to God (Romans 6:18–19). Our Redeemer has come, but it is difficult to enter God’s kingdom, not because God requires impossible standards for us, but because we do not want to repent and change. We tend to love the darkness more than the Light (John 3:19). Many would rather cling to their old sinful identities than allow Jesus to create them anew (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Please pray for me that I don’t let the Lord down for He has been gracious to me.